By Flores H.C.R. No. 270 76R12227 BE-D HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, There is no resource more important to the State of 1-2 Texas than our schoolchildren, and the countless education 1-3 paraprofessionals of this state are a largely unrecognized force in 1-4 the educational process; and 1-5 WHEREAS, Working side by side with teachers, 1-6 paraprofessionals have become an integral component of schools 1-7 today; growing class sizes and shrinking budgets, conflicting 1-8 demands and divergent expectations, all have greatly complicated 1-9 the teaching process, and paraprofessionals ease those 1-10 complications for educators and administrators alike; and 1-11 WHEREAS, Their individual titles and descriptions are as 1-12 varied as their roles; teacher assistant, instructional aide, 1-13 educational trainer, library attendant, bilingual assistant, 1-14 special education associate, mentor, or tutor, foremost is their 1-15 importance in helping to provide the quality education students 1-16 need; and 1-17 WHEREAS, Their experience, skills, and training enable 1-18 paraprofessionals to help students and teachers in immeasurable 1-19 ways innumerable times every day; whether helping mainstream 1-20 students with disabilities, working in bilingual or ESL classrooms, 1-21 or providing assistance in a difficult class when one instructor 1-22 simply is not enough, paraprofessionals help; and 1-23 WHEREAS, Paraprofessionals are a remarkable group of 1-24 dedicated individuals who have made tremendous contributions to 2-1 teaching and teachers and to the learning process, and it is indeed 2-2 appropriate to recognize them at this time; now, therefore, be it 2-3 RESOLVED, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas 2-4 hereby recognize the valuable role of paraprofessionals in 2-5 education and proclaim May 10-14, 1999, as Public School 2-6 Paraprofessional Week in Texas and extend to these dutiful 2-7 individuals great thanks for their contributions to the Texas 2-8 public education system.